Egypt judges say most will boycott referendum CAIRO (AP) — Most Egyptian judges rejected any role Tuesday in overseeing the country’s constitutional referendum, a move likely to cast further doubt on the legitimacy of the disputed charter. The nation’s worst crisis since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster nearly two years ago also forced the government to put off a crucial deal with the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8 billion loan, shattering any hope for recovery of the country’s ailing econo...

Extremists among Syrian rebels who seized base BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian rebels including Islamic extremists took full control of a sprawling military base Tuesday after a bloody two-day battle that killed 35 soldiers, activists said. It was the latest gain by opposition forces bolstered by an al-Qaida-linked group that has provided skilled fighters but raised concerns in the West. The Sheik Suleiman military base was the second major base captured in the north by the rebels, who also are makin...

Taliban popular where US fought biggest battle MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) — Nearly three years after U.S.-led forces launched the biggest operation of the war to clear insurgents, foster economic growth and set a model for the rest of Afghanistan, angry residents of Helmand province say they are too afraid to go out after dark because of marauding bands of thieves. And during the day, they say corrupt police and government officials bully them into paying bribes. After 11 years of war, many ...

North Korea considers delaying rocket launch SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea may postpone the controversial launch of a long-range rocket that had been slated for liftoff as early as Monday, North Korean state media said Sunday. Scientists have pushed forward with preparations for the launch from a west coast site but are considering “readjusting” the timing, a spokesman for the Korean Committee for Space Technology told North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency. It was un...

Egypt panel recommends referendum be held on time CAIRO (AP) — A national dialogue committee said a referendum on a disputed draft constitution will be held on schedule, but President Mohammed Morsi has agreed to rescind the near-absolute power he had granted himself. The statement came after a meeting that was boycotted by the main opposition leaders who are calling for the Dec. 15 vote to be canceled. Morsi had called for the dialogue to try to defuse a spiraling crisis, but the decision ap...

Hanukkah festivities begin with candle lighting JERUSALEM (AP) — Jews around the world ushered in the eight-day Hanukkah festival Saturday evening, lighting the first candles of ceremonial lamps that symbolize triumph over oppression. In Israel, families gathered after sundown for the lighting, eating traditional snacks of potato pancakes and doughnuts and exchanging gifts. Local officials lit candles set up in public places, while families displayed the nine-candle lamps, called menorahs, ...

Italy’s PM says he intends to quit over crisis ROME (AP) — Premier Mario Monti told the Italian president Saturday he is resigning soon, saying he can no longer govern after Silvio Berlusconi’s party withdrew crucial support. It paves the way for early elections a year after the unelected economist helped pull the country back from the brink of financial disaster. Only hours earlier, Berlusconi announced he would run for a fourth term as premier, aiming for a dramatic comeback, considering...

Russian premier jokes about secret files on aliens MOSCOW (AP) — “Men in Black” agents K and J may be about to recruit a new Russian assistant: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev has spoken about top secret files on aliens that may have landed in Russia. In footage recorded Friday after a television interview, the former president joked that each Russian leader gets two folders with information about extraterrestrials that visited our planet — and stayed here. Unseen on camera footage, h...

UK hospital: Nurse involved in Kate hoax call dies LONDON (AP) — The news that Prince William and the former Kate Middleton were expecting their first child — joyous news for a couple looking forward to starting a family — immediately turned bittersweet with the simultaneous announcement that the duchess was being hospitalized for acute morning sickness. Then there was an invasion of her privacy by two disc jockeys who impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles to gain information on h...

Snow may have slowed NKorea launch SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — New satellite images indicate that snow may have slowed North Korea’s rocket launch preparations, but that Pyongyang could still be ready for liftoff starting Monday. South Korean media reports this week quoted unnamed officials in Seoul as saying North Korea had mounted all three stages of the Unha rocket on the launch pad by Wednesday. But snow may have prevented Pyongyang from finishing its work by then, according ...

Clinton: Northern Ireland peace requires vigilance BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Extremists still scheming to spoil Northern Ireland’s fragile peace can be beaten through a commitment to political sacrifice, compromise and vigilance, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday as she visited a Belfast torn by rising sectarian passions and death threats. Clinton stood shoulder to shoulder with the leaders of Northern Ireland’s 5-year-old unity government to denounce this week’s viole...

Egypt delays early voting on new constitution CAIRO (AP) — Egypt postponed early voting on a contentious draft constitution, and aides to President Mohammed Morsi floated the possibility of canceling the whole referendum in the first signs Friday that the Islamic leader is finally yielding to days of protests and deadly street clashes. Tens of thousands marched on the presidential palace after pushing past barbed wire fences installed by the army and calling for Morsi to step down. Thousa...

Hamas chief’s Gaza visit poses challenge to Israel RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The image of Hamas’ long-exiled chief triumphantly walking around the Gaza Strip, flashing victory signs beside Islamic militant leaders Friday, illustrates how the group’s defiance of Israel is forcing a change in Palestinian politics. Buoyed by the rise of fellow Islamists in Egypt, Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal and his allies are confronting Israel with the specter of a change in the balance of power between the two ri...

Syrian rebels set sights on Damascus airport BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad set their sights Friday on the capital’s international airport in a bid to cut off the regime’s supplies, clashing with government troops nearby and again forcing the closure of the airport road. A fighter who is part of the push against Damascus International Airport declared it a legitimate target, claiming that the regime has stationed troops and elite forces there as wel...

Gypsies take curious route through U.S. to asylumDERBY LINE, Vermont (AP) — A Dodge Caravan with California license plates and a dozen passengers zipped across the border between Vermont and Quebec in October, heading north in a southbound lane unblocked by traffic. Border agents could only watch as the van disappeared into Quebec. But the vehicle and its occupants didn't try to disappear. About 22 miles later, they stopped in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Magog, Quebec, and asked someone to cal...

US-Afghan base attacked in eastern Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban suicide bombers assaulted a joint U.S.-Afghan air base in eastern Afghanistan early Sunday, detonating explosives at the gate and sparking a gunbattle that lasted at least two hours with American helicopters firing down at militants before the attackers were defeated. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said they first exploded a car bomb at the entrance of Jalalabad Airfield then stormed into the base. A spok...

North Korea gears up to launch long-range rocket SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is gearing up to fire a long-range rocket this month in a defiant move expected to raise the stakes of a global standoff over its missile and nuclear programs. The North’s announcement Saturday that it would launch the rocket between Dec. 10 and Dec. 22 came as President Barack Obama prepares for his second term and as South Korea holds presidential elections Dec. 19. It would be North Korea’s second launc...

Egypt’s president sets date for constitution vote CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi called Saturday for a referendum in two weeks on a contentious draft constitution, setting a date for another milestone in the country’s transition to democracy. Widespread disputes over the charter and Morsi’s recent seizure of near absolute power have marred the process and thrown the country into turmoil. As has been the case in nearly two years since Hosni Mubarak was ousted, what should have b...

Mexico swears in president amid violent protests MEXICO CITY (AP) — Enrique Pena Nieto took the oath of office as Mexico’s new president Saturday vowing to restore peace and security and take on the vested interests that have hindered economic prosperity. As several hundred protesters threw fire bombs at police and smashed plate glass windows, Pena Nieto marked the return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, with a 13-point plan heavy on old-party populist handouts but with refo...

Myanmar verifying Muslim citizenship SIN THET MAW, Myanmar (AP) — Guarded by rifle-toting police, immigration authorities in western Myanmar have launched a major operation aimed at settling an explosive question at the heart of the biggest crisis the government has faced since beginning its nascent transition to democracy last year. It’s a question that has helped fuel two bloody spasms of sectarian unrest between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims since June, and it ...